Andreea Vanacker: The Bold Pursuit of Joy- Neuroscience-Backed Strategies for Resilience

Content Warning: brain tumor, brain surgery 

About This Episode

In this inspiring episode, Dr. Andreea Vanacker, an entrepreneur, international speaker, and multi-time author, shares a science-backed path to cultivating steady joy, even in high-pressure seasons. Through her Trilogy of Joy framework built on love, confidence, and gratitude, Andreea offers three simple dials you can turn when you feel anxious, low, or stuck. She opens up about her own life-changing diagnosis, the purpose that followed, and what her global research across 48 countries reveals about fulfillment and resilience. With practical tools for protecting your energy, caring for your mind and body, and connecting your strengths to meaningful purpose, this conversation offers a clear, encouraging map for transforming small daily choices into powerful life change.

About Andreea Vanacker

Dr. Andreea Vanacker is an entrepreneur, international speaker, and 4x author. She is a resilient visionary who turned a life-altering nine-hour brain surgery into a global movement for joy. Her TEDx talk introduced the world to her groundbreaking Trilogy of Joy model. As an accomplished global speaker with business experience in over 50 countries, Andreea intertwines her powerful personal narrative with over a decade of research in neuroscience and positive psychology. Andreea has a Ph.D. in Economics, and her insights have been featured in various publications from Forbes, Fast Company to Business Insider. She is the founder and CEO of One Million Years Of Joy, a media company that comprises a podcast, a global study on joy, an annual Leadership Luminary award and a future documentary of joy.

Additional Resources

Website: andreeavanacker.com

LinkedIn: @AndreeaVanacker 

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:07

Welcome to the Bold Lounge Podcast. My name is Lee Burgess and I will be your host. If you're anything like me, you love hearing inspiring stories of people who have gone on bold journeys and made a positive impact in the world. This podcast is all about those kinds of stories. Every week we'll hear from someone who has taken the leap and embarked on an extraordinary journey. In addition to hearing their stories, we'll also learn about their bold growth mindset that they use to make things happen. Whether they faced challenges or doubts along the way, they persisted and ultimately achieved their goals. These impactful stories will leave you feeling motivated and inspired to pursue your own bold journey. I believe everyone has a bold story waiting to be free. Tune in and get ready to be inspired. Welcome to the Bold Lounge. Today I have Dr. Andrea Veneker. She is an entrepreneur and an international speaker and a four-time author. She is a resilient visionary who turned a life-altering nine-hour brain surgery into a global movement for joy. Her TEDx talk introduced the world to her groundbreaking trilogy of joy model. As an accomplished global speaker with business experience in over 50 countries, Andrea intertwines her powerful personal narrative with over a decade of research in neuroscience and positive psychology. Andrea has a PhD in economics, and her insights have been featured in various publications from Forbes, Fast Company to Business Insider. She is the founder and CEO of One Million Years of Joy, a media company that comprises a podcast, a global study on joy, an annual leadership luminary award, and a future documentary of joy. Welcome to the bold lounge.

SPEAKER_00 1:55

Thank you so much. It's a pleasure to be here.

SPEAKER_01 1:58

So we're talking in the green room and we were talking about joy, but we didn't get to get into boldness yet. So I would love to hear what your definition of bold looks like.

Defining Bold

SPEAKER_00 2:08

Yes. So my definition of bold actually comes in two forms. Okay. Bold with a small B is really about following our heart's desire. It's almost like we have this magnet that is pulling us in a direction and we find the courage within ourselves to actually move forward despite maybe self-doubt or even resistance, whether it's from our family, from those close to us that are saying, no, this is a crazy idea, and so on. Then I have the capital B for bold, where we're engaging in the same process. However, the key difference here is that whatever path we're going to be pursuing, that pass is irreversible. That decision cannot be turned around. So I think in life we make both, you know, the very small bee or bold decisions. And other times we have to make those capital, you know, be uh bold decisions. And there's so much more at stake and so much more courage that is required to actually be able to take the first step.

SPEAKER_01 3:17

Yeah, I love that. Out of over 250 definitions, no one's ever said little b and big B. So the little B is really about following your heart, doing what you love. You're, you know, probably brings you a lot of joy, right? And the capital B bold is really the same thing, but you can't go back. Like you're making this move and you got to keep moving forward. And it might work, it might not. It might be great, it might not be so great, but you're doing it anyway. So I love how you frame that up. So in all the moments that we have in our life, we have lots of bold moments to choose from. But is there one bold moment that comes to mind for you that would be that capital B bold moment or one of them?

SPEAKER_00 3:53

I would say becoming um a parent. That is definitely that is definitely capital B bold. Exactly. And totally irreversible. Yes, yes, I believe it is. As soon as you've engaged yourself in this journey, that's it. There's no turning back. And you absolutely have to make the best out of it. And there's gonna be huge highs and huge lows. Yeah, and I have to tell you that when I made that decision to actually become a parent was with my husband, I mean, I was at the peak of my career, and it was actually very, very risky to make that decision. And luckily I did, and now it's one of the biggest sources of joy that I have in my life, my two kids. As I said, although it was super scary in the beginning, I was like, oh my God, what am I getting into? What is gonna be the outcome as a result of pursuing this path and what's gonna happen with my career and so on? And uh I absolutely have zero regrets.

SPEAKER_01 4:59

Yeah. I thought you were gonna say your nine-hour brain surgery, but being a parent's more of a big big B than that. But I agree that that's something that you do out of love and you have this experience, and then you really don't know what you're doing most of the time. At least that's how it feels. That certainly at the start, you're doing your best, and some things come innately and some things may not. So I love how that because you can really extrapolate that into a lot of things, right? In the sense of being bold.

SPEAKER_00 5:27

Indeed. But touching upon what you just mentioned, because if I really look at two key milestones or two events with a capital B, indeed agreeing to move forward with a nine-hour brain operation was a tremendous bull, and indeed. I mean, it took a lot of courage. I knew that it could be uh uh huge consequences. You know, one, do you even wake up from the nine-hour anesthesia? And then once you touch the brain, as you can imagine, I mean, it's so sensitive. Anything can happen from paralysis to uh uh to basically uh so many complications as uh basically at the brain level where you cannot operate or continue living as you were before. Yeah, and um it was very, very scary, but I also was able to uh pursue with my husband a conversation that was really very honest. And I even told him, I said, I don't want to become a burden basically to him and to my two kids. Back us up.

SPEAKER_01 6:32

Like what happened that you needed this surgery? What did you find out that led to you having to make a bold decision?

SPEAKER_00 6:38

So ultimately, what happened is that uh as I was running my startup, which was actually funny enough, a health tech startup. I just wake up one day, and this was during COVID in the middle of the summer. If you recall, COVID had started about March 2020, very intensely. And in the summer, I just wake up and you know, we were like launching massively across organizations, everything was going super, super well. And as I wake up, I'm going to brush my teeth, and I was feeling these huge pains just on half of my face. It almost felt as if I was getting electrical shots. Okay, which is really, really strange. And then I said, okay, I better maybe go buy, you know, uh drink a bit of water. But any movement that I would make with my face basically led to huge pain, and just one thing led to another that ultimately led to the diagnostic that I had a brain tumor that had been growing for over 10 years, and I had zero symptoms. Uh, luckily, the tumor was benign and it was also accessible for operation. So these were like two immense blessings, despite the craziness and the fear associated with it. I was very, very blessed that this was a case. And that's what ultimately led, you know, a couple of weeks later to the brain operation.

SPEAKER_01 7:59

Okay. So obviously, good news you came out of that, and here you are, you know, doing your thing and really helping us understand really the mechanism of joy. And you actually have a model around that. So, can you tell us about the model that you created specifically for joy?

SPEAKER_00 8:17

Yes. So it's called the Trilogy of Joy, and uh it has three main components. One of them is about love, and each one of the three components, actually, and I'll explain it, has three layers. So, first of all, it's about bringing self-love, it's about bringing love to others, and then love to life. So, this is dimension number one. Dimension number two is really connected to um confidence, having self-confidence, having confidence in others. In my case, more specifically, it was about having confidence in the neurosurgeon I had selected and all the medical team, because I said, you know, one of the nine hours of my life that were the most important, I was actually asleep throughout it. So without self-confidence in others, and then that medical team, you know, where you basically have no input, nothing to do or nothing to say, it's very, very hard to basically trust other people on the path that you're about to embark on. And then ultimately also have confidence in life, that despite the struggles and the adversities that you may be facing, that life will brighten up and despite the storm and the the uh the challenges, that there's gonna be better days ahead. And then the final uh component is gratitude. How can we have gratitude towards ourselves, gratitude towards others, and gratitude towards life? So that's really the trilogy of joy model. And uh in the TED talk that I did, I was actually sharing how I apply this. Uh, and whenever I lack joy, because it happens to all of us, I mean, you know, our brains

The Trilogy Of Joy Model

SPEAKER_00 9:59

are not designed to be happy all the time. Our brains are really designed to keep us safe and facilitate our survival. So it is natural to have highs and lows in terms of emotions. And whenever I feel a bit more down for whatever reasons, I always go back to that and I'm like, wow, I need to amplify the gratitude piece. I haven't, or I need to amplify more the love piece at the three layers. And this is where basically it's a it's a process I go through every single night when I fall asleep, and then I'm like ready for the next day, and you know, I have this clarity on what can I do to actually bring more joy, not only for myself in terms of how I'm living this journey, but also to those around me.

SPEAKER_01 10:40

Yeah, I love that. Vigil is like three dials, you know, love, confidence, gratitude. You each of them, you know, align with three dials of like, oh, I need to dial this part up. You know, maybe it's not for myself, maybe it's for others, or maybe it's for you know the world outside of me. So I love how you approach that. Why did you choose joy and have that? Obviously, you were doing a health tech startup. So somewhere in there, you said, I wanted to learn more about this. What was your calling towards specifically looking at and understanding joy at the next level? Because you have now this, you know, one million years of joy, you have a media company, a podcast, and you have a global study, particularly on joy.

SPEAKER_00 11:19

Indeed. So when I recovered from the operation, I was almost in the state of euphoria. It's like, wow, I survived the nine-hour operation. I was blown away. And I kept asking myself for months after why did I survive when many people do not, unfortunately. And it really came down to finding my purpose and gaining that clarity on what is the impact that I wish to have on this world. And what I realized is that sometimes we pay so much attention to so many dimensions that are really not important. And I really simplified everything. And I said, the most important thing in life is really to be able to experience it as joyfully as possible and to bring as much joy as possible in this world, in whatever way we choose to do that. And that is why I decided to pursue joy, and I had this intuition and even the name One Million Years of Joy, I cannot even describe it. It was just like, you know, popping up and like Andrea, you know, do this, do this. And I was like, no, and I was suppressing it, suppressing it. No, I don't want, you know, no, I'm a business person. What is this one million years of joy? Right. And ultimately, I I basically uh chose a bold move and I said, you know what, I'm gonna pursue this. I'm gonna launch one million years of joy, and it just started with a podcast, and it just led into so many other things, and ultimately that's why I'm focused on joy because I truly believe that it's the most important thing in life.

SPEAKER_01 12:58

Yeah, it sounds like it, whether you knew it or not, it's connected to your purpose, and it's like this idea that kept popping into your heart or your mind or your soul, I guess all of them, you know, in some form or fashion for over time. It's like, well, okay, I can't I can't push this one away, like it's not going away. So, how did

Purpose And Launching A Movement

SPEAKER_01 13:15

you start out? Like you started with the podcast, is that where you started with uh one million? And what does one million years of joy mean? Is that what you're looking for for everyone, or what does the title mean?

SPEAKER_00 13:26

So the title is really originally when we started the podcast was to capture as many interviews and stories that would add up to a million years of joy. So let's say I interview someone that is 50 years old and someone that is 75. I'm already at 125 years of joy. Okay, I love it. It was really about adding those ages up, and that is what ultimately also led us to begin the survey on joy on a global scale so we can basically complement and derive insights both from the interviews and the stories that people were sharing, as well as from the data points whereby we could reach into audiences basically on a global scale. We currently have data from people from 48 countries from all walks of life. And that's really what the journey has been on uh, you know, since we started this.

SPEAKER_01 14:25

Yeah. Do you talk about flow and peak performance inside your model as well? Or is that something that you did outside of it?

SPEAKER_00 14:32

So that is, I would say it's a little bit outside, but interestingly, what I have discovered in the process of my research and my fascination with the brain and neuroscience over the years is that ultimately, even to get into a state of flow, we need to be in that positive mindset. We cannot get into a state of flow if we are frustrated, anxious, or we have not necessarily slept. Uh you see what I mean? Like we have to be into that optimal energy and both at the mind level, at the physical level, to be able to get into those states of flow that really allow us to tap into peak performance, motivation, and creativity. Uh, and that's really what I've discovered along the way. And it also connects the dots with a lot of the uh leadership insights that I bring forward within organizations and at conferences as well, whereby I show the power of joy. And there's more and more research that indicates actually that when we are in that positive emotional state, our brains operate in a completely different way than when we're living from a level of fear, let's just say, or we're experiencing more than negative emotions, because those negative emotions are more survival emotions. And they all we think about is really what do I need to do to survive? But if we are basically leaning more towards the positive emotion of joy, love, trust, this is where actually our productivity can be at the highest level possible. We can tap into peak performance, we can basically be our most creative self and really achieve incredible things. When we are in that state of fear, actually, our capacity to come up with creative ideas goes down, our capacity to even come up with complex solutions to complex problems goes down, and our capacity also to even think about the long term and project ourselves and take action that really can impact situations more in the medium to the long term is impossible because all we want to do is be in the present moment

Flow, Peak Performance, And Positive States

SPEAKER_00 16:46

and ensure our survival. So whether it applies basically to us as human beings or within organizations or teams, we need to understand the impact of the emotions that we inhibit or that teams or organizations or culture inhibit because they have a massive impact on what we can achieve. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 17:07

So when we think about joy, what's the difference between joy and happiness? Or are they the same?

SPEAKER_00 17:14

So happiness is something that is conditional on achieving something. Okay. And often it's, you know, I achieve a specific milestone, a specific reward. But in my definition of joy, it's really about something we can tap into, irrespective of what maybe happening in the outer world. How do we tap into joy? So basically, it's a state of contentment that we can tap into by again combining the three dimensions of the trilogy of joy and realizing that there's so much to be basically contented with rather than always make our joy conditional on future events because that robs the possibility of actually enjoying the present moment.

SPEAKER_01 18:01

Right. Joy doesn't have to be a this or that, it can be outhand, like this thing happened, which wasn't good, but I can still tap into joy. I can think about the love, the confidence, or the gratitude around this moment for myself, for others, or for the world. And you know, if you're doing that, like you're working through those gears, like it's hard probably to be in maybe the place you were when it initially happened, right? Exactly. Is there a right or wrong way to tap into joy or just do it your way? Like, are there tips to do it? Like something bad happens. Like, what's the very first thing you should ask yourself or check in on?

SPEAKER_00 18:35

If something bad happens, we need to understand that it's important to label our emotions. So that self-awareness is essential in switching from a negative or limiting mindset to one that is more empowering. Okay. And research has shown, in fact, that we have a capacity to identify that emotion within about 90 seconds. And if we choose to remain in that emotional state that is negative for more than the 90 seconds, then we're basically just prolonging our suffering. So we have to be able to label our emotions to be able to start accepting them and accepting whatever situation has emerged. Because often what creates inner turmoil and lack of joy is when we are resisting what life has brought your way. And that's why if we actually look at life with more gratitude, more appreciation, and even when you have challenges coming your way, instead of saying, oh, this is horrible, what's gonna happen? We can actually look at it and say, wow, another challenge, another opportunity to do something interesting where I can grow, I can evolve. So it's really, really essential to have that inner self-awareness so we can also bring that control of emotions that really allows us to navigate in the world no matter what may be happening.

SPEAKER_01 20:04

Yeah. What I think as you're talking is like my brother is like 60 years ahead of me, uh, in the sense of like understanding like when things go wrong, because he's always like, you know, if we're late or doing something, he's always like everything for a reason and a purpose, meaning it's supposed to be this way. Just don't sweat the small stuff, so to speak, and take it from a positive place. And then also, like you were just talking, and as you were talking, like something let's again, I'm

Joy vs Happiness And Emotional Labeling

SPEAKER_01 20:28

I'm not talking about a serious accident or anything like that. I'm talking about the annoying things that happened in the day-to-day. And instead, it was like, you know, we're making memories right now for sure, right? We're gonna remember this flat tire or you know, this concert that we went to and had that girl sitting behind us, or what it was. You know, I'm talking about the smaller stuff in life that sometimes people do get a little riled up about. And, you know, it's like making a memory for sure. So, like, I love how you're approaching it in that way. With this, you know, your study right now, tell us a little about the global study on Joy that you're running and what patterns or insights, if any, have emerged so far from what you've done.

SPEAKER_00 21:02

Yes. What's really, really interesting is that since the beginning of uh the data collection, as we were packaging everything by generation, by country, you know, based on education level and so on, or professions, what was really, really consistent across the board was that individuals that had found their purpose basically had a higher level of life fulfillment and joy. And it is really, really clear across generations that individuals that lack purpose are struggling more and potentially also are thinking, wow, life is actually uh a struggle. I have zero control over what is actually happening, and that ultimately leads to lower levels of joy. This is one of the key things that we have found.

SPEAKER_01 21:56

So if you can't define your purpose or are not on a like a track to figure it out, because sometimes it's a big question to ask somebody, but you're kind of like trying things, at least that's how it feels for me. I'm like trying things and I keep having this idea come back in that like you were talking about, but I'm not doing that yet, I'm doing this, and then like you know, you keep going and it keeps popping back in. I was like, Oh, maybe I should just on the side start trying that, you know. So it's basically if you don't have that or you're trying to find it, you will feel maybe stuck or like the world isn't happening to you, like it's something you can't control.

SPEAKER_00 22:30

Exactly. I truly believe that we can all take actions that are, you know, very small that can orient us towards a calling, towards making those bold moves and try things out. And sometimes we embark on a pass. And as I said, not all pass are actually irreversible. It may take a bit of time, but ultimately you'll gain clarity that will then allow you to decide wow, this really feels fantastic, or I'm so enthusiastic. I, you know, I wake up in the morning and I'm so excited to be able to pursue the specific project or initiative that I've started. You see what I mean? So when you're lacking that enthusiasm and joy and love for life, I think it's a moment to rethink whether, you know, wherever you may be professionally, personally, is where you were intended to be. And if there's a greater calling, sometimes, as I say, as we discussed earlier, it does take uh bold moves to actually uh have the courage to move forward and change paths.

SPEAKER_01 23:37

Yeah. Okay. So tell me about the Luminary Award and what's the Leadership Luminary Award and what does it celebrate? And who is someone that you think embodies that for us?

SPEAKER_00 23:47

Yes. So the Luminary Award is really about bringing in at the forefront the top 50 individuals, and we do this on an annual basis, that are truly having a positive impact within their communities or organizations. So it's very, very broad. And the positive impact is really connected to joy, of course. Are they bringing positivity and joyful leadership within their organizations that are creating human-centric cultures?

Global Study On Joy: Purpose Findings

SPEAKER_00 24:20

Or are those individuals potentially contributing in a positive light to uplift others that may not necessarily have the means or capacity, and it's really transforming lives? So we've had basically the 2024 Leadership Luminaries. Uh, they're available on our website. We've had phenomenal individuals from all you know walks of life. One individual that comes to mind is uh Satish Kumar. He's uh 88 years old. He uh he's published several books, and he's just an incredible humanitarian that has really just contributed to shifting our perspectives on what truly matters in terms of bringing more positivity, not only at the human level, but also at the planetary level, so we can actually protect the earth that is giving us so much. So that is one individual that is really outstanding, and he has had a career that is really uh incredible. And we have other individuals from CEOs and executives to founders, authors uh that are really contributing in such a beautiful way to reshaping our world. And ultimately, they're game changers that are inspiring so many individuals and changing lives every single day.

SPEAKER_01 25:39

Yeah, in the documentary, is it really to emphasize these types of stories of those leaders and other people that you've met on the podcast, those types of things?

SPEAKER_00 25:47

Indeed. And it's really about connecting now all the dots between the stories, between the leadership luminaries that we're uh we're basically highlighting uh the research that we're continuing to pursue, and also now bring the uh scientific research to a deeper level to even bring forward certain experiments, and we also want to integrate certain components of how the, if you wish, the um the Gen Z and the millennials are experiencing the world that we're living in, particularly given the high levels of mental health uh problems that we're seeing in those uh generations. So we really want to unpack the challenges that they're facing and provide actionable ideas and tools that can be put in place in order to transform lives in a positive way.

SPEAKER_01 26:39

Nice. So we'll keep our eye out for that as you're continuing on. Like we were talking about how to, you know, making documentaries is certainly something that takes a bit of time, and just like you said, weaving all the pieces and parts together creates the purpose for it. So I love that. So as we think about this, and you and I were talking about briefly, and the neuroscience of joy, so like hacking it in some way, like is the first thing I think of when you say that. But is there something obviously you're you've learned like the suggestion of one photo a day or something that can help us access joy more consistently or more regularly? Is there is there a hack for it or something that we can use, maybe just have in our pocket on on days that we just don't have a lot of mental fortitude for something?

SPEAKER_00 27:22

Well, again, I think there's that awareness that we need to have in terms of where am I today, right? You know, what what are the emotions that are troubling me? So if you're realizing that you're in that negative state of mind, label those emotions so you can actually begin that transformation process.

SPEAKER_01 27:40

Yeah, so you could be frustrated, you could be angry, you could be disappointed, or just sad. Exactly. Yeah, sometimes you feel all of them. Exactly.

SPEAKER_00 27:49

And it feels horrible. So I think the quickest thing that can really be very, very transformative is to switch to gratitude, to move away from that negative state of mind and begin reflecting on what am I grateful

Bold Experiments Toward Purpose

SPEAKER_00 28:06

for? Right. And gratitude is not necessarily always coming from the outside. I think we also need to bring greater gratitude towards ourselves, towards the bold moves or actions that we have taken to head in a specific direction, or maybe we have failed, but essentially you're still in the arena and that matters.

SPEAKER_01 28:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 28:25

Gratitude basically for life, because as I said, sometimes you have incredible synchronicities that emerge and that surprise you and bring that magic to life. So when we bring that component of gratitude, actually, what it does at the level of the brain is that it switches us from that negative, fear-based, anger-based to one where we're actually beginning to now explore and believe in possibilities. And rather than being stuck in a mindset that is more limiting, we can now basically feel more empowered and energized to pursue paths that will propel us in the positive direction. So, as I said, when we have those negative emotions, it's not about trying to suppress them and ignore them, put them under the rug. It's also about exploring them and understanding, wow, maybe the emotions I'm feeling as a result of a specific action I've taken or a specific outcome. As I said, maybe you're now realizing that specific activities are not bringing you joy at all. And that can actually enlighten you to maybe change paths and change directions.

Leadership Luminary Award And Exemplars

SPEAKER_00 29:38

And I know it takes a lot of courage, but it takes that first step of self awareness and acknowledging where I am? Are the people in my network that I see every single day are they helping me basically move forward on a path with joy and with positivity? Do I feel energized and excited? Or are a lot of the people that I'm seeing every single day in whatever environment you may be in, like bringing me down. And that is actually what you know what's causing a lot of the negative emotions. So I think we we really have to have that exploration about is it the outer world or is it our inner world that is creating those negative emotions? Because we need to have that understanding and begin working towards taking action, as I said, either towards improving more our inner world or improving facets of our outer world so we can actually experience more joy and fulfillment.

SPEAKER_01 30:31

Yeah. And you talk about well-being actually, you know, in the habits around it. So like sleep and you know, being outside in nature and nutrition and our relationships, those are habits that support joy, right? So we may, if we're feeling in a place where we've labeled it of being sad or disappointed or just being low, like some days you feel low, but you have no reason to be low. Like the sun is shining. I just, you know, did something great and things are going well, but why do I feel this way? But being able to maybe either kick yourself out of that habit if you have that happening, or what do habits have to do with it?

SPEAKER_00 31:06

They're essential. In fact, our lifestyle has a massive impact on how we experience this world and this life. And it starts with sleep. Unless we're actually getting seven to eight hours of sleep, what happens the next day is that actually our anxiety can increase by up to 30%. So we're going to be more on edge, it's going to be more challenging to deal with any specific task. Finding motivation is going to be more challenging as well. So it is absolutely essential to protect our sleep. And then we also have to understand that exercise is a phenomenal booster of energy and mood. So even just walking outside, but maybe doing a brisk and faster walk than usual, can be phenomenal in terms of boosting your mood or even just getting you out there to appreciate nature and begin reflecting maybe about certain things that are bothering you. And you'll realize that even as you come back, even after 10 minutes, you'll already feel so much better. And then, of course, yes, what we choose to eat and drink also has a massive impact at the level of the brain. And it's really, really essential to pay attention to eating the right foods that help basically give us the good energy and avoid as much as possible, you know, sugars, alcohol, and things that are really, really horrible for the brain and uh and that can also have a huge impact on our moods.

SPEAKER_01 32:31

Yeah. Okay. So think about your habits too. If you're in this space of like, I'm not sure how to find my joy or to have it more consistently. Like, are there are there habits around your sleep or your nutrition or being outside that certainly have you know taken a hit and think about maybe resetting those and just take the first step towards it, right? Exactly. As we close out and you've experienced so much, like from obviously brain surgery, you you're an entrepreneur, that's one thing. You know, you've had nine-hour brain surgery that you didn't know if you would be the same afterwards. Um, you've done the research and podcasts. If someone's out there just needing to start and understand maybe what their purpose is, because we talked about that kind of being the root of joy, what's one thing they can do today to start towards that?

SPEAKER_00 33:20

I would focus on what has brought them joy in the past. Is there something that has really energized them and put them in a good mood? And just almost segmenting specific activities or times during the day or during the week, basically, where your energy is just lifted. And once you actually begin looking into that, you'll identify specific strengths and then connect your strengths with what the world needs most and a problem that you're absolutely super enthusiastic to tackle. And it could be very, very diverse, right? It could be fostering education for underprivileged kids to saving the planet and ultimately combine your strengths, which you really love to do with those key challenges. And we have so many challenges in our world, that would be my recommendation. But one key point also that I want to bring forward when it comes to purpose is that purpose should have two sides to it. It has to be altruistic in terms of what do I wish to have in terms of positive impact on the world, on others. But we cannot forget ourselves in the process because if we become overly altruistic and we put so much energy and so much time and we forget about our own well-being

Practical Joy “Hacks”: Gratitude And Awareness

SPEAKER_00 34:43

and the lifestyle dimensions that we just spoke about, then we no longer have the capacity and the energy to actually pursue those amazing things. So we really have to find that optimal balance in order to feel energized and excited about doing something positive in this world.

SPEAKER_01 35:01

Wonderful. I love how you approach it. It is a very straightforward way to learn more about it. So please check out in the episode notes all the information about Andrea, her work, her studies, the award, the podcast, and her four books. If you want to get the primer on this, thank you so much for being on the Bold Lounge and for sharing your bold journey with us today. Thank you so much. It's been a pleasure. Thank you for listening to the Bold Lounge Podcast. Through the continuum of bold stories, vulnerability to taking a leap, you will meet more extraordinary people making a positive impact for others through their unique and important story. By highlighting these stories, we hope to inspire others and share the journey of those with a bold mindset. We hope you've enjoyed this podcast and look forward to sharing the next bold journey with you.